George Henry & Edward Atkinson Hornel - Druids, Bringing in the Mistletoe [1890]

George Henry & Edward Atkinson Hornel - Druids, Bringing in the Mistletoe [1890] , a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Here we see the rite of bringing in the sacred mistletoe, and showing a group of Druids or Celtic priests in richly decorated ceremonial robes and insignia proceeding down a steep hillside in solemn procession. The mistletoe, cut from the sacred oak by a golden sickle held by the chief druid, is ceremoniously received by subordinates in white raiment and borne home reverently on the backs of the white bulls.

Mistletoe is significant as a plant revered by the druids for its magical as well as medicinal properties. In the 1890s there was a revival of interest in Celtic art and folklore; the influence of this can be seen in the use of complex intertwining patterns on the priests' robes and also on the pattern work of the frame. Henry and Hornel were members of a group of artists called the Glasgow Boys who, at the end of the 19th century, revolutionized Scottish painting. This painting, dating from 1890, was the first on which the two artists collaborated and is their most daring composition.

[Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 152.4 cm]